Here’s who didn’t pay for the anti-Ellis charter school ad

We’ve gotten a bunch of calls and e-mails regarding the somewhat mysterious radio spot that attacks Corey Ellis for allegedly opposing charter schools even though members of his family attend them.

(For the record here, Ellis’ campaign says the ad distorts the mayoral candidate’s actual position, which is that he does not oppose charter schools but instead opposes their expansion in Albany, where many are under-enrolled.)

We were more interested in the source of the spot, which, based on unofficial reports from Local Politics scouts, appears to have begun running late last week.

The ad says nothing about its origins, so we decided to go to what we deemed the most likely sources: The campaign of Mayor Jerry Jennings and Brighter Choice schools, which are mentioned specifically in the spot.